But Trump also said that Cohn was a ‘‘nationalist’’ in his own way because ‘‘he loves our country.’’

The words prompted a round of applause, including from Trump, who thanked Cohn for his service.

Trump predicted the former Goldman Sachs executive would eventually return to his administration. But the president couldn’t resist taking a jab at Cohn’s strong opposition to Trump’s plan to slap tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

If Cohn rejoins the administration, Trump said, ‘‘I don’t know if I can put him in the same position, though. He’s not quite as strong on those tariffs as we want.’’

Trump predicted Cohn was ‘‘going to go out and make another couple of hundred million.’’